Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Three people were killed and five
injured when a gunman opened fire with a shotgun this morning at
a store in a suburban shopping mall in Maryland, police said.

The Howard County Police Department said the shooting at
The Mall in Columbia occurred at about 11:15 a.m. local time,
about an hour after it opened. One of those killed was the
suspected gunman, who was found near a gun and ammunition,
police said in a statement. The other two victims were store
employees, a male and a female in their 20s, Howard County
Police Chief Bill McMahon said in a televised news briefing held
near the mall.

“We are very confident that it was a single shooter,”
McMahon said. The shooting seemed to be confined to the
immediate area of the one store, he added. Five people were
treated for injuries, one a gunshot wound, he said.

McMahon said the shooting happened in the upper level of
the mall and that police as yet have no possible motive for the
incident. Investigators were reviewing videos of the scene, he
said.

The mall is located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast
of Washington.

The identities of the victims or the suspected shooter have
yet to be released, McMahon said. It’s unclear how many shots
were fired, he said.

Took Shelter

Witnesses said dozens in the mall took shelter under
tables, in stores or rushed to the exits after hearing several
gunshots.

Caesar Calucag, 46, stopped by the mall to get lunch with
his daughter April, 14. He was returning to his table when he
heard gunshots and saw people rushing down the escalators. He
hid under a table with his daughter and a 12-year-old girl, then
fled through an exit.

“It was a terrifying nightmare,” he said. “Everybody was
running and I saw their faces and they looked terrified. It was
so unreal.”